Help on things to do in PR???
 

Four single girlfriends going to Puerto Rico. Staying in Isle Verde. Any suggestions on the best restaurants, the hottest nightclubs, "must do's", water activities, and the best shopping - ALL being "somewhat" nearby Isle Verde? (We will venture off for things i.e. the rainforest). Fodors suggest too many things to decide from! :) Thanks!

El San Juan Hotel is great in the evening - particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. Great lobby bar, live music, crowded nightclub, and a casino. Dress nicely as there are no shorts allowed after 7:00 pm.

There is also a rooftop bar at the Water Club, which is supposed to be good (I have never been to it). As far as restaurants, what do you have in mind as far as price range, food type, ambience? The Metropol in Isla Verde is good for very good Puerto Rican/Cuban food in a casual atmosphere (entrees run from $8.95 and up). Mi Casita is a good choice for breakfast or lunch. El San Juan has some very good upscale restaurants, as does the Ritz Carlton and Intercontinental.

If you want to venture to Old San Juan, there are a lot of good restaurants to choose from, as well as some good nightlife and shopping. Old San Juan is about a $20 cab ride from Isla Verde.

Water Club is highly recommended. Their rooftop bar is very cool and probably the most modern in PR. They have DJs on certain nights but no dance floor.

Definitely explore Old San Juan (you can take a bus there and cab back at night - its about $15). I love the architecture there. El Batay (an true dive) on Calle Cristo, as well as the Parrot Club (good food) are must visits. If you decide to eat at the Parrot Club I suggest skipping the wait and try to eat at the bar. My wife and I had been there twice and both times we ate at the bar and the conversation was good. One of their bartenders Pancho is really cool.

If you have transportation I also suggest doing the Bacardi distillery tour. Very cool!

Have a Don Q (their local rum) and coke for me!

Thanks for the ideas!

On our return flight to Boston, a passenger mentioned the Don Q tour is better than the Bacardi one, and it is located in OSJ. Has anyone been? Apparently they offer frozen drinks for samples. We bring friends to the Bacardi distillery every time someone visits, it is nice out there and the prices in the shop are pretty good(clothes, glasswear, as well as rum).

I do know that I like Don Q.

For restaurants, as someone mentioned, The Parrot Club is really good, as well as Tantra, although TPC I think is better. there's also AguaViva right down the street from those two. They're all in the SoFo-South of Fortaleza-area, where there's quite a concentration of restaurants for you to choose from. That's in OSJ. then again, in Isla Verde, there's Che's, an Argentinian restaurant, really good and good price, but gets very packed; quite popular. And, as well, a couple hotels around IV have good, upscale restaurants, it just depends on what you're in the mood for. Nightclubs, you can try Brava, that's in El San Juan, one of the biggest, if not the biggest, and most popular clubs in the Metro Area. It gets packed, and dress code is Dress to Impress- no jeans, sneakers, flip flops, etc. allowed. There's also age restrictions, depending on the nights. The Water Club, it's nice, but it's more of a loung-y ambience than a club. It's modern, though, as someone mentioned, really cool, and there's also age restrictions. Still, the best clubs/pubs are out of the OSJ/IV area. Urban is not that far away, and has gotten pretty popular. That's best to go on Fridays. Still, there's a couple of small pubs/restaurants in the OSJ area that present local bands/music, if you're in the mood for that. Head up to Calle San Sebastian crossing Del Cristo, and you'll find a couple good spots. As for best shopping, head to Plaza Las Americas; you don't need anything else. Although much of it is pretty much the same you'd find in the States, so what's the purpose? As must do's, you mentioned going to the Rainforest, that's pretty nice. Remember to stay on the trail, you don't want to get lost. Nice waterfalls and "charcas" for you to get cooled. And of course, a must has to be going to Culebra and heading to Playa Flamenco. That's the best beach you'll get to see in PR, and it's ranked in the Top 10 beaches in the world. Very beautiful and serene. Nice for snorkeling too, if you're into that. Also, take the Bio Bay kayak trip in Vieques. It's the most beautiful out of the three that PR has. Another must, and if you have the time/abbility/money, take a trip out to some other part of the Island, preferably the north and west. You'll get to see other places and experience the best beaches PR has to offer, which are fortunately not in the Metro area. My choices are Isabela (Jobos), Aguadilla (Wilderness) and Cabo Rojo (Playa Sucia/Boqueron).

There's quite some things to do, just have fun and enjoy your trip!

Your criteria is:
"Four single girlfriends going to Puerto Rico. Staying in Isle Verde. Any suggestions on the best restaurants, the hottest nightclubs, "must do's", water activities, and the best shopping - ALL being "somewhat" nearby Isle Verde? "

Isle verde: El San Juan and Ritz Carlton best spots for upscale safe partying on weekends.

There is Cartier, and other high end shopping in Condado next to Isla Verde.

If you venture to old san juan where I live (as well as St. John) There are many hot clubs on and off of Calle Forteleza. But if you want upscale dining and bars check out Cristo Street (calle) at El Convento Hotel and rest of street

Shopping is absolutely FANTASTIC Old San Juan...its worth the $20 cab fare...Harry Winston is on Calle Cristo--incredible displays.

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